1 June 2015 Reuben's Baptism

This week was a particularly special one. My goodness. I think that in my last letter home I expressed a bit of concern before Reubens baptism. I was a bit worried about him not being bale to make it to church and what not. We met with him pretty much every night before his baptism to go over things that needed to be taught such as the various principles in PMG Chapter 3 lessons 4 and 5. As we taught him though, I began to gain a much better understanding of how well prepared he was for Baptism and how much he desired to make the covenant with God, and I felt confident that he was ready and prepared. We had felt the spirit so much during his lessons, and we felt it all the way up to the day of his baptism. I can tell you that I fasted before the baptism that I would be ready to perform the ordinance and also that all would go well for the Baptism. Nearly all of the Branch was there to support Reuben, and also his Daughter \who is a member but is LA came as well. Reuben also had his cousin (who is an active member) to support him. It was brilliant, and it went so smoothly. I talked with Reuben afterwards, and he mentioned a few things along the lines of that he " felt like he was a changed man". I am thankful for Heavenly Father blessing my companion and I to help someone return to his fold. It wasn't just us. In all honesty I don't really feel like I deserved, or least to extent that I didn't really do to much to help Reuben get there. The missionaries before Elder Mahreza and I found him. They taught him for a few months, then I cam in and continued to teach him with Elder Donaldson. Members came with us to the teaching appointments and where able to bear a powerful testimony of the church and also share with him their conversion story. Our Branch is made up nearly all converts surprisingly, and many of them personally know Reuben personally. So when you look at it in the bigger picture it was the combined efforts of previous missionaries, us, and the members to bring Reuben into the fold.

So Reuben was baptized on a Friday... Usually it is a Saturday... Reason being is because of Elder Quinten L. Cook! He came to our mission and we traveled back down to Auckland and back down to the MTC and we all met at the local chapel with the Hamilton mission. Being in the presence of an Apostle is amazing, and many of the other General Authorities form the Area Presidency. So I have met shaken the hands of 2 Apostles on my mission, that's Elder Anderson, and Elder Cook. Elder Bednar was not able to, but still got to see him up close and be in the same room. :)


Love, 
Elder Ward